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Work/Life Pioneers Honored

Three pioneers in advancing workplace flexibility concepts and practices were honored at the Nov. 8-10, 2011, Work-Life Focus: 2012 and Beyond conference in Washington, D.C.

“Each of these individuals has had the ability to see the future and then act on it,” said Ellen Galinsky, president of the Families and Work Institute (FWI), which partnered with the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) to sponsor the conference. “We wouldn’t be where we are without their efforts.”

The pioneers are:

Carol Evans, president of Working Mother Media, which publishes Working Mother magazine. The magazine inspires companies to compete to be better employers by publishing lists of best companies for working mothers, for multicultural women, for hourly workers and others. Evans is chief executive officer of Diversity Best Practices, a corporate membership organization supporting diversity and inclusion in the workplace.

Donna Klein, founder of Corporate Voices for Working Families, a nonprofit business membership organization that provides employers a forum to improve the lives of working families. Before that, Klein served for 20 years as vice president of Marriott International Inc., where she guided the strategic implementation of work/life initiatives, including Marriott’s award-winning Women’s Leadership Initiative.

Kathleen M. Lingle, who leads WorldAtWork’s Alliance for Work-Life Progress to advance work/life as a part of an integrated total rewards strategy. Prior to her current position at WorldAtWork, Lingle served as national work/life director at KPMG LLP, where she led a multiyear cultural change initiative. She also served previously as director of Work-Life Training at FWI.

In accepting the award, Lingle said: “It’s time for us to develop a whole new philosophy of work.” She said she envisions a world where workplace flexibility is a tool and a strategic plan within every workplace.

With the combined efforts of FWI, SHRM and all the organizations represented at the conference, “we really do have the smarts, the willpower and the energy to do this.”

But she said it takes courage, particularly to deal with the issue of overwork among employees. “We really are working ourselves into a hole, and we wonder why health care costs and stress are going up.”